Reasons to not buy an RS4

I no longer drive to work, so I am selling my B5 to make way for a toy that will also be my only car. That means year-round, including snow duty if needed.

So, aside from

and

why should I not make a B7 RS4 my next car?

I had all but forgotten about the existence of this car until a mention from a fellow TCL'r the other night, but now I can't get it out of my mind. What other cars should I be considering before I make a rash decision?

I no longer drive to work, so I am selling my B5 to make way for a toy that will also be my only car. That means year-round, including snow duty if needed.

So, aside from

and

why should I not make a B7 RS4 my next car?

I had all but forgotten about the existence of this car until a mention from a fellow TCL'r the other night, but now I can't get it out of my mind. What other cars should I be considering before I make a rash decision?

P4C

The 2 reasons you just listed would really turn me off from that car. For the same money you could probably pick up a nice 911 S, granted I don't know what your life entails as far as a neccesity for practicality.

I know of some compaines that are working on fuel additives that will limit/break this stuff up specifically for these FSI motors. I guess the S5 motor as well has the same problem as the RS4.

The problem being is if the fuel additives work too quickly, from my understanding, and break this gunk up it can cause some serious issues w/the valves not seating properly and you losing compression. Not a good thing.

Having said that, if you are comfortable w/that issue then by all means get one b/c they are amazing cars to drive. The chains/guides I'd honestly not worry about b/c that's a way longer term wear item.

The 2 reasons you just listed would really turn me off from that car. For the same money you could probably pick up a nice 911 S, granted I don't know what your life entails as far as a neccesity for practicality.

That's a good point. OP do you require 4 doors? If not a C4S might be a tempting prospect. Or are you looking for a little more stealth / sleeper?

can't see the pics at work, are they sludgers? Only ever seen one on the road and it definitely caught my eye. Good looking car, but as someone mentioned above I can't think of a single reason to buy one over an M3, other than the fact that it ISN'T an M3.

If you don't have to commute it, and it's just a toy, why not get something more purposeful and toy like than the rs?

Is there anything you can do to clean the carbon off (seafoamesque stuff)?

This is approaching certainty for my next car as I'm moving north and AWD would be great.

People claim running good oil, a catch can system, or italian style tuneups at high RPM every week on the highway. However I have not seen any solid evidence any of that even works. At least for the GTI/GLI 2.0T engine.

I think I'll just pay for the BG service or whatever the dealer has available every 50,000 miles or so. Overall a small price to pay for an enjoyable vehicle.

Sent from my tablet while sipping weak drinks over fancy brunch with a view

Is there anything you can do to clean the carbon off (seafoamesque stuff)?

Seafoam/gas/other solvent and an arsenal of brushes and dental picks. JHM is/was working on a system that spits a bit of fuel into the throttle body to help wash the valves and prevent the carbon build up. Other than that.... cleanings every 10,000-15,000 miles are apparently the best way to fight it, the carbon is still relatively soft at that point and easy to get off.

Originally Posted by nismo4life

The 2 reasons you just listed would really turn me off from that car. For the same money you could probably pick up a nice 911 S, granted I don't know what your life entails as far as a neccesity for practicality.

Practicality is a big plus... I don't know if I could ever go back to a 2 door car as my only car. The ease of being able to stuff groceries/boxes/things/people in the back seat comes in handy more often than I previously realized.

Watermeth may do more for the combustion chamber than the valve stems, but it will still help prevent valve buildup. Current buildup still needs to be removed by whatever means you choose to use. It will help clean valves stay clean tho, to clear that up.

Doesn't Audi dealerships offer a 'de-carbon' job for cars with the 3.2/4.2FSI engines? I'm guessing it's not a cheap job though.. almost on par with the BMW M3 vanos/valve adjustment service??? I would love to be enlightened on this matter

From what I have been reading, ANYTHING you put in the gas tank ( fuel additives) will not help. Direct injection = fuel directly into the combustion chamber, so nothing is getting to the backs of the valves, which is why the problem exists.

Seafoam is weak for carbon removal, only solutions so far is BG service and the factory: intake removal and physical carbon removal, which I believe is walnut shell blasting.

I know of some compaines that are working on fuel additives that will limit/break this stuff up specifically for these FSI motors. I guess the S5 motor as well has the same problem as the RS4.

The problem being is if the fuel additives work too quickly, from my understanding, and break this gunk up it can cause some serious issues w/the valves not seating properly and you losing compression. Not a good thing.

Having said that, if you are comfortable w/that issue then by all means get one b/c they are amazing cars to drive. The chains/guides I'd honestly not worry about b/c that's a way longer term wear item.

How would fuel additives work when fuel is not even passing over the air intake valves.....

A quick search shows used V's starting in the low 50's.... how I wish they were cheaper, though.

Really not a big fan of the E9x M3, they can be had in the same price range as the RS4, though.

good point. what price range are we looking in? if so, the BMW is worth looking at...not going to be that much more reliable than the Audi though. cool thing about the V is the 100k powertrain warranty...what about any of the older ones? the earlier LSx ones are very capable too...

Originally Posted by capsaicin

AP1 S2000? I can not in good conscience talk you out of that. May your slip angle be great and your bed not be the couch!

You forgot the DRC! If it's anywhere similar to what's on the RS6, it's a complete pile of garbage even when it was brand new. The RS6's DRC system was recalled and even the fix that was provided didn't solve all of the problems. Again, I'm not sure of the exact details on the RS4, but I heard they were the same system.

I know people that have tried it... it doesn't do anything. If you knew how the meth actually works and atomizes you would understand why it wouldn't work.

Im not getting into this. I know it helps, just like thousands of others know it helps, on top off all the mfg claim it helps. Maybe it does, maybe it doesnt, it sure as hell works for everything else claimed.